Austrian National Security Council convenes after Russian spy arrested
Russian spy networks threaten Austria by infiltrating and exploiting political parties, chancellor warns
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has convened the National Security Council following the detention of Egisto Ott, a former employee of the now disbanded Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Fight against Terrorism (BVT), on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Source. This was reported by the dpa agency.
"Russian spy networks threaten our country by infiltrating and exploiting political parties or associations," the chancellor said.
A meeting of the National Security Council is scheduled for 9 April.
"There are serious allegations of espionage. On the one hand, these allegations need to be clarified by the judiciary, and on the other hand, it is necessary to assess and clarify the impact of these allegations on the security situation in Austria. I will therefore convene the National Security Council on 9 April," Nehammer tweeted.
The detention of Egisto Ott became known in late March. He is suspected of abuse of office and conducting covert intelligence to the detriment of Austria's interests, law enforcement agencies said. According to Der Standard newspaper, Ott is suspected of passing on data from the phones of three senior officials from the Austrian Interior Ministry to the Russian FSB.
This information was stolen in the summer of 2022 from the devices of Michael Kloibmüller, who for many years headed the office of the head of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, the director of the Federal Police Michael Takacs, and the head of the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum Gernot Mayer.
In early March, the former intelligence officer's name was mentioned in an investigation by Der Spiegel and The Insider about the former director of the financial company Wirecard, Jan Marsalek, who, according to media reports, had been working for Russian special services for many years.
According to the journalists, Ott helped Marsalek set up a spy cell for the Russian secret services and also helped to monitor journalist Khristo Grozev after the publication of an investigation into the poisoning of Russian politician Alexei Navalny by FSB officers.
Background. Meanwhile, it was reported that the head of the fintech startup Wirecard, Marsalek, laundered money for Kadyrov. He worked for Russian special services for at least 10 years and was directly involved in money laundering.
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